


I've Got Stamina

by ferix79



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blind Character, Blindness, Canon Disabled Character, Dad!Cor, FFXV kinkmeme, Gen, Ignis Learns how to be blind, Kink Meme, Thanks for nothing canon, The correct way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 21:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10625442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ferix79/pseuds/ferix79
Summary: Cor visits the boys after the destruction of Altissa, and finds that Ignis is not being treated properly.For the KM request: Someone gives Ignis a cane that's actually meant for blind people and tosses that stupid walking stick off a cliff.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I put quite a bit of research into this and learned a lot, and I'm pretty proud of how it ended up. Let me know if you spot anything glaringly inaccurate, though. 
> 
> [KM Prompt](http://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3016.html?thread=2756552#cmt2756552)

After Leviathan’s awakening and the battle of Altissa, Cor had a choice number of indescribable emotions running through him. Concern, rage, self-hate, hope, helplessness; the whole boat ride over to meet up with the boys it was impossible to settle into a mood. Cid kept calling back from the wheel, telling him to stop pulling his hair out over something that already happened—he’d make himself more bald than he already was. His old companion’s comfort didn’t help.

As far as Gladio had told him, both Ignis and Noctis were awake. And thank the Astrals for that, because if Noctis—or any one of them, really—had turned up dead Cor wouldn’t have even bothered to show his face. He promised Regis and Clarus that he’d take care of these boys—if one of them turned up dead he might as well abandon his title as Marshall and exile himself.

But they were alive, so that was good.

Ignis’ blindness, not so much.

It certainly wasn’t the end of Ignis’ world or his usefulness or anything like that, although the twenty three year old likely felt like it was. Cor knew he would become accustomed in time; Ignis was nothing if not adaptable. He used to know a woman that worked in the upper echelons of the King’s military strategy team that was blind, and she was critical to their military successes leading up to The Fall. Or, had been, as it were now. But nevertheless, he was sure Ignis would keep and flourish in his position just as she had.

Cid’s boat whizzed along the water, the rocky cliffs of Accordo growing closer by the minute. Thank Eos, it wouldn’t be long now.

 

* * *

 

When he woke up they told him he was blind. Ignis wasn’t even sure who ‘they’ were, as he couldn’t see them and didn’t have the presence of mind to ask. Gladio and Prompto’s presence was more comforting then he ever thought it would be, so he clung to them like a drowning man to a life raft in the first few days. They—the doctors?—returned and gave him a cane. A short cane. He didn’t know any better, so he thanked them and they went along their way. They looked very busy, Gladio told him, probably tending to the hundreds of others that were injured in the chaos.

If Ignis was honest with himself—which was difficult these days—he wasn’t so scared of never seeing his loved ones faces again. Of never seeing Noct light up when he baked him something again. Of never seeing the sunrise again. He was much more afraid of never being able to get around on his own again without someone at his back. Their help was appreciated, but Ignis was independent and strong minded by nature. If he was going to go somewhere, he wanted to _go_ , not shuffle around on unsure feet half bent over trying to feel where the curb on the sidewalk was.

Because damn, getting around with this cane was hard. _Really_ hard.

He’d seen blind people with canes before, on the streets of Insomnia or in the Citadel. They never looked like they were having much trouble—they looked driven and independent and like they knew where they were going. _They looked normal_ , his mind liked to provide. He tried not to think about it. Maybe they all went through this awkward phase of _I-trip-at-least-twice-a-day_ and he’d get over it in time. That was the best Ignis had come up with to comfort himself, anyway.

 

* * *

 

By the time Cor made it to Altissa—or what was left of the city—found a place to dock and frantically texted Gladio for directions to wherever they were staying, it was reasonable to say that he was a little frazzled. All the emotions of the past twenty-four hours had stopped vying for dominance and instead decided to just bubble up all at the same time. He didn’t know what to make of it—he never had been very good at expressing himself, much less in words.

So when he was finally—gods be praised _finally_ —led to the room where the Prince was staying, only to lay eyes upon Ignis sitting there with that _stick_ —and honest, gods-be-damned walking stick—the only thing he could express was rage.

“Where are their doctors?” He roared in the face of the guard that led him there, spooking the uniformed man and the four inhabitants of the room. The doctors were off treating other patients, apparently, but Cor demanded they be brought back to the room this instant. There was something seriously wrong.

The guard hightailed it out of there and Cor calmed down, taking a moment to check in with the boys. They all looked quite haggard—Noctis in particular was badly bruised and scratched up—but they would live to see another day. Cor wasn’t so sure if this so-called doctor would do the same.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” A new voice came from the door.  

“Can I see your cane, Ignis?” Ignis looked hesitant, but handed the stick over anyway. Like Gladio and Prompto, it had become somewhat of a lifeline over the past few days.

Cor rounded on the man. “What is this?” He growled, offering the man the short, black—black! Not even white!—cane. The doctor looked ready to turn his nose up and walk right out, but he answered anyway.

“It’s a cane, sir. A mobility aid for the blind. This gentleman was blinded in the attack on the city and it was all we had to give him. What would you have us do?” Cor huffed. He supposed it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, given how thin resources were stretched at the moment, but it was still unacceptable. Unacceptable for the King’s aide; unacceptable for anyone.

“I would have you find a damn cane that he can actually walk with, rather than this ornate piece of trash! I refuse to allow you to provide such poor care to the advisor of the King of Lucis!” Dropping titles wasn’t Cor’s favorite way of making demands, but damn if it didn’t work. The doctor’s nonchalant façade began to crack as his eyes darted between Cor and the boys seated in the room, “It’s likely to cause him more pain and injury if he keeps on using it, and I refuse to believe that in this massive city you don’t have one damn long cane available!”

In hindsight, Cor’s next move was far too brash, but at least it got a reaction out of the doctor. He stalked over to a window and looked out, finding that it looked down upon one of Altissa’s many canals. Against his better judgment he unlatched the window, threw it open and chucked the stick into the canal. When he turned back to the doctor, the cowering man looked ready to faint.

“I’ll find something more acceptable right way, sir.”

“Thank you.” Cor said, and the man shut the door behind him.

“I’m sorry no one was able to do that sooner, Ignis,” he said, returning to the couch, “You must have been having a lot of trouble over these past few days.”

“Did you throw my cane out the window?” Ignis asked, incredulous.

“It was more of a walking stick than a cane, Ignis. I’m sorry that you were led to believe differently, but that thing wasn’t helping you at all.” A look of realization dawned on Ignis’ face, but he was silent after that. Perhaps everything was starting to make a little more sense.

“Now,” Cor said, “Have you boys had something to eat lately?”

 

* * *

 

Ignis never thought he would be saying it, but having Cor around for a few days was the best thing that could have happened to the four of them. Between Noctis reeling from Luna’s death, Gladio silent and frustrated in his inability to protect, Ignis learning to be blind and Prompto’s anxiety in general, Cor was the anchor that held them all together. His presence felt good, and strangely nostalgic.

It felt like having a parent again. The revelation hit Ignis after Cor pressed his new cane into his hand. It was tall— _way_ taller than his other one, it nearly reached his shoulders—and made noise when tapped against what he assumed was a hardwood floor.

“There’s someone here, too. To teach you how to use it,” he said, and Ignis felt two hands grasp his.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Ignis. I’m Julia, and I’m from the Accordan Center for the Blind in Northern Accordo. I must apologize that we were not able to provide you with assistance earlier. The hospital here is not equipped to help patients with low vision and blindness after surgery, but due to the destruction it was difficult for our staff to travel down here safely.” Her accent was Tenebraen like his, and he found it oddly comforting.

Ignis listened as Cor stepped around him and took a seat on the couches where Gladio, Noctis and Prompto were.  “Thank you, Julia. It’s…I understand the delay. I know the destruction was quite horrific.” He wanted to say ‘It’s okay’ or ‘No worries’, but it wasn’t okay. It had been nearly a two weeks that he’d been unable to get around on his own.

After that Julia wasted no time in teaching Ignis the basics of navigating. “If you’ll flip the cane around and feel the tip,” he followed her instructions, “You’ll feel that this particular tip is metal. It’s lightweight and designed to glide over cracks easily, but the real benefit to this is the feedback it gives you.” Ignis flipped the cane back around at her request, then she stepped behind him and placed her hand over his. “As you tap it on different surfaces, you’ll start to recognize different sounds. Carpet for example,” she guided his hand to tap the cane against the plush rug in the room, “Doesn’t make much sound, but this wood flooring would.” He followed along as she guided him to fan the cane back and forth in front of him, listening to the sharp ‘tap,tap,tap’ of the metal against the wood. Tile or concrete would have unique sounds, too, he imagined.

“You’ll also start to identify different surfaces based on texture. Can you feel the tip sliding over those little spaces between the floorboards?” He moved the cane around a little more, and felt the texture she was talking about, “If you were in a new building, that might help you recognize that the flooring was wood. On tile, you might feel the dips of the grout between tiles, and concrete will feel more rough and bumpy. With carpet, you’ll find eventually that you can distinguish between a thick, plush carpet and a low, flat one. If you ever can’t identify a sound, texture is also a great help when moving around.”

She asked him to turn slightly to his left then, and take about three steps forward. The feedback the cane provided him told Ignis that they were definitely still on the hardwood, but the pitch of the sound had changed. Curious, he took another step forward and the cane ran into what he guessed was a wall, or perhaps a dresser of some kind.

“Did you notice the change in the sound?” Julia asked, and Ignis nodded, “Excellent. What you’re hearing is an echo of your cane tapping against the floor and bouncing off the walls. It’s easier to hear this echo on other surfaces like tile or concrete, but either way it’s another sound that can tell you a lot about your surroundings. You might infer from this that you’ve accidentally found yourself in a corner or that the space you’re in is very tight.” She explained, and Ignis tapped the cane a few more times, trying to commit the sound to memory. “Is everything clear so far?”

“Yes,” Ignis said, though he was distracted with all the new information racing through his brain, “Crystal.”

 

* * *

 

Julia stayed with him for another three hours. For need of a larger space they moved out into the hallways of the mansion, and Julia said the other boys were welcome to come watch. It would be important information for them, too, to understand how their friend would navigate from now on.

 She started with teaching Ignis a proper grip on the cane, how to swing it in an arc in front of his body and how to keep a rhythm when walking. He made more than a few mistakes, but she quelled his worries. This was only his first day with the cane; it would take at least several weeks for him to get comfortable with walking independently.

She concluded the lesson by teaching his three companions something, too. “In the absence of your cane, or in an area that’s difficult to navigate, it can be helpful to have a friend guide you. Could I have a volunteer?” She turned towards Gladio, Prompto and Noctis.

Ever since the incident, Prompto felt increasingly useless among their group. He couldn’t find the words to comfort Noctis over Luna’s death and he didn’t know anything about what it was like to be blind. But this was a chance to help where he could actually do something useful. He was more than happy to step forward, introduce himself and stand next to Ignis. Following his instinct, he placed a hand around Ignis’ elbow.

“Oh, you’ve got it a bit backwards, actually.” Julia was quick to correct and had them switch around. “Ignis, you’ll want to keep your hand around his bicep and stay about half a step behind him. Prompto, if you’re on a flat surface this is easy. Just walk as you normally would, but check with him to make sure you’re walking at a good pace. He’s got quite long legs, though, so that might not be too much of a problem.” She said, poking a bit of fun at his height. Perhaps she normally taught children or teens, Ignis thought; he could imagine that leading someone shorter could be more difficult.

Each of the boys got their turn after that, learning how to guide Ignis through tight spaces, how to help him climb stairs or find chairs and seats. Julia returned on a regular basis, and each time they ventured farther and farther away from the mansion. First, down the stairs and into the courtyard. To the docks by the Leville. Then to a busy street, over a bridge and through a market, where they restocked on potions and groceries.

(“But…you haven’t learned how to cook again, Iggy.” Noctis said, knowing he was treading on eggshells by bringing it up.

“Prompto and Gladio aren’t fools.” Ignis said, “I know for a fact they can cook, at least decently.”)

“Julia?” He addressed her one day. He’d become quite proficient at navigating Altissa’s flat, if a little winding, streets, but they weren’t planning on staying in Altissa very long. Their planned journey to Tenebrae and the Empire would likely not afford him such even, predictable surfaces. “Is there a tip for the cane that might help me handle better in…rural areas? Like grass or a dirt path?” He skipped over the fact that they would be entering hostile enemy territory. Some things were better left unsaid.

“There is!” She replied, and he listened as she rifled through her bag. “Feel this,” she said after retrieving the object and pressed it into Ignis’ hand. It was long and curved, with the front side arcing up away from the ground. “It’s called a basher tip, and it’s designed for traveling in rural or wilderness areas. The way it’s curved helps it slide over uneven ground, grass and rocks and things like that.”

Ignis thanked her and bought a few spares of both tips just in case, along with a folding long cane—good for travel and easy to store away—just in case his original broke. It reminded him of keeping spare pairs of glasses. Though his spectacles weren’t of much use to him anymore, the cane was very similar. It was essentially his eyes, now, and it was very important to him. He would spare no expense in ensuring that he could navigate well and retain as much independence as possible.

A week later Cor announced that he needed to return to Lucis. It was about time for the four of them to get moving, too.

The last time Ignis met with Julia she thanked him profusely and promised to keep her in mind should he ever need anything else. She encouraged Ignis to come visit their center some time, or find a similar one in Lucis. He still had much to learn, and skills like reading Braille and cooking on his own could provide a huge boost to his confidence. Ignis assured her he would, as he would need those skills if he continued to serve as Noctis’ advisor, but they had a more important mission to carry out, now.

On to Cartanica.

**Author's Note:**

> The basher tip is indeed a real thing, and IRL it's called the bundu basher, 'bundu' being the Afrikaans word for 'bush', because it was designed in South Africa and made for travelling through the bush. The more you know!
> 
> I only touched on it for a second here, but I really like the idea of Cor helping to support the boys a lot, along with other older characters like Cid and Cindy. There are always extenuating circumstances, but most of us in the real world still receive support from our parents or guardians well into our twenties and beyond. For all four of the boys to lose their parents so young, I think they would have really appreciated having someone like Cor around to balance things out. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!  
> [my tumblr](http://ferix-writes.tumblr.com/)


End file.
